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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

San Antonio, TX vs Arlington, TX

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

San Antonio spends 44.0% more per capita than Arlington ($5,173/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,445,662
B
68/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Antonio
Arlington
Total Spending
$24.5B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$16,943
$11,769
Total Revenue
$124.1B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$85,853
$60,454
Total Debt
$3.1B
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$2,131
$594
Population
1,445,662
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
San Antonio$396
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
San Antonio$158
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
San Antonio$1,045
Arlington$1,352
Education
San Antonio$23
Arlington$0
Health
San Antonio$293
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San AntonioArlington
Property Tax
$9
$0
Sales Tax
$293
$507
Income Tax
$1,000
$73
Intergovernmental
$14,312
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$4,025
$2,949
Other
$3,184
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San AntonioArlington
Fire Protection
$396
$160
Highways & Roads
$158
$149
Education
$23
$0
Public Welfare
$1,188
$826
Health
$293
$219
Hospitals
$993
$152
Parks & Recreation
$1,045
$1,352
Housing
$3,570
$2,981
Sewerage
$100
$141
Utilities
$3,826
$1,385
Other
$5,352
$4,404
B
San Antonio, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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